Website design and Development 

With more than 13 billion pages, the Internet has become the forging force for communication, business and technology in ways we never thought possible.  The strong growth of the social network and blogging has changed the way we connect, interact and share information.  

Website design and development has followed, of course, this same evolutionary path.  The hypertext markup language (HTML) that was originally the only option in web design has also evolved to a world of options, PHP, Flash, .net, JavaScript and Ajax are now part of our daily lexicon.  

Web development has evolved more to the functional side of the website.  This can include the use of database development in the website, application development and programming languages used to create functionality.  

The depth and scope of the website development will depend upon the purpose of the website.  Since many of the emerging technology businesses rely upon the website as the heart of the business the development of the website has gotten more and more complex.  

The advent of software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Cloud Computing have created new levels of complexity for website developers.   Sites like Twitter, Facebook and even the Search Engines are complex web applications using computer programming, software engineering and algorithms to generate millions of friends, followers and fans.  Honing skills, increasing the technology knowledge and adding new languages are all important skills for the website developers.  

Website designers have found new, exciting ways to bring new energy, graphic impact and layouts that work for the user.  The ability to develop creative, innovative designs that send a branded identity for the website, is website design at its best.  The business website says so much in the first few seconds of loading.  Is it traditional or modern, is it busy and engaging or is it minimalist and streamlined?  

Web design has more often now become a focus on the aesthetic and development on the function.  Web design is often more concerned with the graphic user interface, the intuitive nature of the website and the flow of the site.  The selection of colors, fonts and column use can all impact the user experience.  The use of graphics, mixed media and video/audio can impact page speed to load and the overall success of the website. 

Again the advent of new technologies, the growth of WordPress, Joomla, Tumblr and other content management, templated options have pushed website designers to think outside the traditional design and reach for innovative options.  Understanding how the website integrates with search engines, internet advertising such as Adsense, Affiliate Marketing, Banner Campaigns and Pay-per-Click are important to the overall web design.  Making the Internet marketing convert to customers and revenue elevates website design to website success.  

The Internet moves with incredible speed.  Whether you are creating the website design or the deep development strategy, it is important to look at the ever-evolving technology, techniques and options for moving the website forward.  The next great innovation could be in the newest version of website tools, languages or algorithms.